ANCA

ANCA Serving the cause of Armenian Liberty since the 1890s. Watch this video:
https://vimeo.com/80836610

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the grassroots advocacy organization representing the views and values of our nation's citizens of Armenian heritage. The Armenian National Committee of America represents the views, the values, and the voice of Armenian Americans and friends of Armenia from across the United States.

Congratulations to U.S. Senator Ed Markey on his victory in the September 1 Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary.Arme...
09/02/2026

Congratulations to U.S. Senator Ed Markey on his victory in the September 1 Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary.

Armenian American voters across Watertown, Belmont, Arlington, Worcester, and communities throughout the Commonwealth made their voices heard for a senator with an A+ ANCA rating and a decades-long record of standing with the Armenian nation.

"Senator Markey has stood with us every step of the way - during his tenure in the U.S. House and now in his role as a senior U.S. Senator," shared ANCA activist Aram Kaligian at the time of the endorsement. "Now is our time to stand with him." Massachusetts Armenian Americans did.

The ANCA endorsed Senator Markey in April, citing his leadership on Armenian Genocide justice, his demands that Azerbaijan release Armenian hostages, and his support for the right of return for Armenians displaced by Azerbaijan's genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

"Senator Markey has been a consistent and courageous voice for justice," said ANCA advocate Steve Mesrobian. "From advancing U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide to holding Azerbaijan accountable for its aggression and ethnic cleansing of Artsakh's indigenous Armenian population, Senator Markey has demonstrated a clear and unwavering commitment to truth, accountability, and a true and sustainable peace."

Senator Markey joined over 25 Senate colleagues in November 2025 demanding Azerbaijan release Armenian hostages and sanction officials responsible for human rights abuses. He carried that demand to Baku during COP29, telling Aliyev advisor Hikmet Hajiyev that "the Azerbaijani government must immediately and unconditionally release all Armenian and Azeri political prisoners, guarantee the right of return for ethnic Armenian civilians to Nagorno Karabakh, and negotiate in good faith a peace agreement with Armenia."

Armenian votes matter - in Massachusetts and in every state where our community organizes, votes, and holds candidates accountable.

Full record: anca.org/senate/edward-markey-m000133-119/

Since 1933, the AYF has built more than athletes. It has built the advocates, organizers, and leaders who carry the Arme...
09/01/2026

Since 1933, the AYF has built more than athletes. It has built the advocates, organizers, and leaders who carry the Armenian Cause.

The Armenian Weekly previews the 92nd AYF Olympics Sept. 3-7, when all roads lead to Jersey. Athletes, alumni, and families will gather across northern New Jersey and Rockland County for golf, tennis, swimming, softball, and track and field, alongside four nights of Armenian music, dancing, and reunions.

The numbers tell part of the story: more than 15,000 recorded results and over 2,600 athletes across 91 previous Olympics. The rest of the story is what happens between the events - chapters traveling from across the country, alumni returning year after year, and a younger generation stepping into a tradition built for them.

That camaraderie does not stop at the finish line. The AYF - YOARF Eastern Region USA and Armenian Youth Federation Western Regions co-host the ANCA Rising Leaders Program, and the young Armenians competing for their chapters are the same ones who walk into Congressional offices to press for Armenia's security and sovereignty, justice for the Armenian Genocide, the release of Armenian hostages held by Azerbaijan, and the right of return of Artsakh's indigenous Armenians.

All athletic events are free and open to spectators.

The ANCA stands with the AYF.

Read the full preview: https://armenianweekly.com/2026/09/01/new-jersey-gears-up-for-92nd-ayf-olympics/

Learn more about ANCA Rising Leaders: anca.org/RisingLeaders

09/01/2026

Thirty-five years on, the demand has not changed: the right of the people of Artsakh to return home and live in freedom on their own land.

Bring that demand to Capitol Hill — ANCA Strategic Advocacy, September 14-15: anca.org/advocacydays

09/01/2026

ANCA Summer Spotlight: Kevork Assadourian, a rising senior at Amarillo High School in Amarillo, TX, has a passion for business, finance, and politics.

Kevork is a member of the National Honor Society and will serve as Amarillo High's Student Body Vice President this coming year. Though his family is one of the only Armenian families in his congressional district, he travels frequently to Dallas, where he's active in Saint Sarkis Armenian Orthodox Church's local ACYOA chapter and participates in events including the annual Armenian Festival, which draws Armenians from across Texas.

"The Kasparian Summer Academy has allowed me to go even deeper, meeting with lawmakers to discuss these issues on Capitol Hill and building a fuller understanding that I can bring back and share more effectively with those around me," Kevork says. "This experience has been a learning opportunity — helping me to continue pro-Armenian advocacy in my community and around the world."

The ANCA is proud to have hosted Kevork as part of the Kasparian Summer Academy and looks forward to his continued advocacy as one of the leading Armenian voices in his corner of Texas.

Learn more about ANCA's youth empowerment programs at anca.org/youth.

Defund Azerbaijan. Enforce Section 907.Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act prohibits U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. S...
09/01/2026

Defund Azerbaijan. Enforce Section 907.

Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act prohibits U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan. Successive administrations have waived it — sending U.S. taxpayer-funded military aid to a regime that starved and then ethnically cleansed the Armenians of Artsakh, holds Armenian hostages in Baku, and occupies sovereign Armenian territory.

H.R.6840, the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act, ends that pattern and puts U.S. policy behind Armenia's security and sovereignty.

Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor H.R.6840.

Take action: anca.org/ArmeniaAct

The IRF Summit — the premier annual gathering of the international religious freedom movement, convening more than 90 or...
08/31/2026

The IRF Summit — the premier annual gathering of the international religious freedom movement, convening more than 90 organizations across 30 faith traditions in Washington, D.C. — has devoted a segment of its monthly newsletter to the Armenian government's prosecution of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The facts the IRF Summit lays out: Catholicos Karekin II went on trial in August for refusing a civil court order to reinstate Bishop Gevorg Saroyan, who had been defrocked by the church. The Catholicos and six clerics face up to two years in prison. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called for the Catholicos' resignation while accusing the church of secretly acting as a proxy for Russia and other foreign powers — accusations the IRF Summit calls unsupported. The first judge recused himself, halting proceedings with no indication of when the trial resumes.

The IRF Summit's take is the part that matters most. It places Armenia among the governments it monitors for religious persecution, concluding that this attack on the church's autonomy comes "under the guise of national security." It notes that the evidence points away from collusion with Russia, and that the Armenian Apostolic Church — which traces its roots to Armenia's adoption of Christianity in 301 A.D. — faces what may be the most significant legal challenge in its history.

The IRF Summit newsletter states they will be watching the resumption of the trial and calls on the Armenian government to uphold Armenia's democratic principles.

Read the full newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/irfsummit/month-update-irf-summit-10609310

Azerbaijan's courts have closed every door on 15 Armenian hostages.Armenian Legal Center Executive Director / ICLAW Arme...
08/31/2026

Azerbaijan's courts have closed every door on 15 Armenian hostages.

Armenian Legal Center Executive Director / ICLAW Armenia President Siranush Sahakyan, who represents Armenian hostages before the European Court of Human Rights, has filed a group complaint with the ECtHR over Baku's sham trial of 15 Armenians held in Azerbaijan — among them former Artsakh Presidents Bako Sahakyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, former National Assembly President Davit Ishkhanyan, and former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan. The complaint was filed in cooperation with the International and Comparative Law Center.

https://iclaw.am/media/news-feed/248/details

The record is damning. The Baku Military Court had no jurisdiction to try civilians. 422 volumes and roughly 105,000 pages of case materials were withheld from the defense without adequate translation. Aliyev and other Azerbaijani officials branded the defendants "terrorists" and "separatists" before a verdict existed. The "judgment" carried no seal or authentication, and neither the hostages' families nor Azerbaijan's own appointed lawyers received copies. On August 6, 2026, Baku's appellate court upheld every sentence unchanged.

Azerbaijan's domestic legal system offers Armenians no remedy. Here in the U.S., Congress has the tools to act.

H.R.5369, the Azerbaijan Sanctions Review Act, forces a review of U.S. sanctions on the regime responsible for the genocidal ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and the continued imprisonment of Armenian hostages. H.R.6840, the ARMENIA Security Partnership Act, strengthens U.S. support for Armenia's security and sovereignty.

Contact your U.S. Representative and demand cosponsorship of both bills.

Take action on H.R.5369: anca.org/sanctions
Take action on H.R.6840: anca.org/ArmeniaAct

STILL TIME TO APPLY: A limited number of spots remain for ANCA Strategic Advocacy 2026 — September 14-15 in Washington, ...
08/30/2026

STILL TIME TO APPLY: A limited number of spots remain for ANCA Strategic Advocacy 2026 — September 14-15 in Washington, DC.

Apply now: https://anca.org/advocacydays

Two days of Capitol Hill meetings, weeks out from November's midterms, pressing Congress on Artsakh justice, Armenia's security and sovereignty, and accountability for Azerbaijan.

No registration fee. Travel and lodging support available for qualified applicants. No past advocacy experience necessary — seasoned team leaders guide every group through its Congressional meetings. Veteran activists welcome.

If you can't make it, share this with friends and family, or sponsor a student advocate's participation by visiting: https://anca.org/sponsor-a-student-advocate

08/27/2026

ANCA Summer Spotlight: Agnes Khechoyan, a rising junior at Kent Denver School in Colorado, hopes to build a career combining science, leadership, and public service.

At school, Agnes strengthens her voice through Speech and Debate, Mock Trial, and the school newspaper. But her deepest passion lies in advocating for the Armenian Cause — a connection to heritage she traces to learning about her ancestors' experiences and the ongoing challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh.

"I believe it is our generation's responsibility to preserve our history, fight for justice, and ensure that the Armenian people continue to have a strong voice," Agnes says. "It is an honor to represent my community and contribute to a Cause that means so much to me, my family, and the Armenian Diaspora."

The ANCA is proud to have hosted Agnes as part of the Kasparian Summer Academy and looks forward to her continued advocacy for Armenia and Artsakh.

Learn more about ANCA's youth empowerment programs at anca.org/youth.

08/27/2026

ANCA Summer Spotlight: Saro Hamparian, an incoming freshman at Polytechnic High School in Pasadena, CA, serves on the executive board of the Pasadena "Nigol Touman" AYF Chapter, where he helps organize events and activities for weekly meetings.

"Through the ANCA Kasparian Summer Academy, I have gained valuable experience in how to advocate for not only our brothers and sisters in Armenia but also the greater diaspora," Saro says. "During the program, I learned more about the inner workings of the U.S. government and the critical role the ANCA plays in shaping pro-Armenian policy."

Saro remains deeply passionate about staying connected with his culture, meeting new Armenians, and continuing to work alongside them back in his home community.

The ANCA is proud to have hosted Saro as part of the Kasparian Summer Academy and looks forward to his continued advocacy for Armenia and the greater diaspora.

Learn more about ANCA's youth empowerment programs at anca.org/youth.

Address

1711 N Street NW
Washington D.C., DC
20036

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ANCA posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category